It’s Not Me, It’s YOU!

One of the biggest factors in personal success is one’s own positive attitude and determination. You hold a lot of power to change your destiny.

But sometimes that’s not enough.

And sometimes, the problem isn’t YOU – it’s those AROUND you.

Have you ever been surrounded by negative people?

You know the ones – they always seem to be sad / whiney / angry about the world? They might be a bit like George Costanza in Seinfeld (but less funny)?

Successful people often emphasise the importance of surrounding yourself with positive, enthusiastic, and successful individuals.

Why?

Because that sort of environment generates energy, creativity, and the belief that anything is possible (and it is). Basically, the type of people you hang out with will, most likely, reflect the type of person you are, or will, become.

So if you’re spending most of your time surrounded by angry, negative people, or (even more common) a group of people that hate their jobs and only care about money, it’s time to extract yourself NOW.

Otherwise, their attitudes and beliefs will limit yours. They will hold you back. And YOU will eventually become THEM.

But if you still manage to succeed while being surrounded by these sorts of individuals (which would be a phenomenal effort on your part, by the way), chances are that they won’t see the work you put in. They will only think that you struck it lucky. They will try and bring you down.

In Australia, this most closely resembles the “tall poppy syndrome” – cutting people down when they become too big. It’s pretty ridiculous when you think about it. It’s small-mindedness and jealousy. Nothing more.

The ultimate irony is that the types of people that react this way seem to have more respect for “success” that is achieved purely by chance (eg. game show winners, lottery winners, gamblers, etc). Somehow, you will be given more respect by these people if you pick the right suitcase in “Deal or No Deal” than by working your ass off towards your dreams.

So if you’re not getting where you want to be in life, take a careful look at the types of people you are associating yourself with.

Sometimes these people are your friends and acquaintances. Other times, they might even be lovers or family. The latter can be an especially tricky area.

But the ultimate solution is the same regardless.

You need to:

minimise contact with such individuals both for THEIR benefit and YOUR OWN, and

increase contact with positive people who have energy and enthusiasm for life.

Once you do that, you’ll find that the positive energy will start rubbing off on you (in a G-rated way, of course…).